There are several raw falafel recipes out there, but Gena's is pretty unique. She uses carrot pulp (from the juicer) and ground sesame seeds for the base. That green stuff is cilantro and chopped celery. They're dehydrated for about 4 hours, but Gena provides alternate instructions for using an oven on the lowest setting.

Of course, falafel isn't the same without pita. So I made some Raw Pita Bread using a recipe in Rose Lee Calabro's Living in the Raw Gourmet:

This "flatbread" is made from a base of flaxseed and avocado, blended up and poured onto Teflex sheets on the dehydrator. It made the perfect holder for Gena's falafel and her tangy tahini sauce.

Here's a shot of my whole lunch, with a big ole side salad:

While on the ACT cleanse, I'm eating meals like this for lunch everyday. My raw lunches follow breakfasts of raw breads, raw oats, fruit, or smoothies. And of course, every breakfast begins with a big ass glass of green juice (usually made from kale or collards, celery, cucumber, and apple). My nights are filled with hearty, cooked meals made with gluten-free whole grains, veggies, and proteins (like beans or tempeh).

I only have 16 days left on the cleanse ... and that means I'm 16 days closer to a soy latte, a slice of toast, a cupcake, and a gorgeous glass of vegan merlot. Maybe all at the same time.

Wow- that falafel looks- AMAZING! I'm so amped to get my dehydrator (Excalibur should be coming today!!!) I really was looking forward to make some raw bread and such in there- I think I might have to join you for that soy latte.. and cupcakes! Keep up the great work!

i think i remember hearing that joke from you a while back when dan and i had falafels - i laughed my ass of then and i still do! yay!

i saw that JoLynn of dreamin it vegan had made Gena's carrot falafels, too - they look so amazing and awesome - think i'm totally gonna have to make 'em happen. hooray for using pulp that might otherwise just be composted. less food waste = the absolute best! i love that you make some raw pita, too - score! your ACT eatz are look'n great, and i'm excited that you're close to a cuppins cake, tasty vegan wine, the latte 'n toast. mmmmm!

Hi. I read your blog all the time but have never posted. The cleanse sounds a bit hard but do you feel any different? I imagine I would light and healthy on such a cleanse (after the first few days). Keep up the good work! :)

Do you remember the TBS "Dinner and a Movie" thing where they'd show a movie and in the commercials show how to cook a dinner that was somehow (cornily) related to the movie? My favorite one was "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" teamed with "I can't come to school today because I falafel" ... :)

LOL, mee too. I'm doing raw food all of January. I did it once before and was amazed to not get cravings for cooked food. I must say I don't count my tea or chai...just food. Good luck on the halfway mark. I'm making cauliflower couscous tonight.

I love jokes simple enough for me to remember - that's great! This makes me want to get a dehydrator - the avocado and flax seed pita looks really good, and I would have never thought of making pita with those ingredients.

That *is* a great falafel recipe! I can't wait to try it with all carrot pulp because when I made it, I used mixed pulp & it was a liiiiittle dry. Delicious, but not moist enough. I'm sure the carrots are the key.

What a fantastic lunch! You make me wish I was partaking in this cleanse...